Committing..

Hey All!! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend!! We had a very nice, much needed relaxing one. We had a fabulous dinner at our friends Clay and Nicole's house. It's always good to catch up with them!! They are the type of friends that even if you haven't seen each other in months, you can easily pick up where you left off.. those are my kind of people!!!
I did pretty well in terms of eating on Thanksgiving.. didn't fill my plate and didn't finish what was on it. That's a first!!! I didn't have anything breadlike b/c that seems to be my biggest issue. I had my first glass of wine as well since Mexico - that may be a record.. I don't think I've gone over a month without booze since I was 16!!! Needless to say, wine tasted soo good!!!

So, as all of you know, I started the C25K program last week. I'm not going to lie, I absolutely hate running. I'm only doing it b/c I know that running is a sure fire way to skinny(ier)!! You don't really ever see a chubbo running now do you?? So, I'm starting week 2 this week if I can ever get my hubs to get off the computer long enough to hit the gym (another first.. I'm actually asking him to go to the gym!! ha! ) and b/c of my new desire to be a runner, I signed up for a 5K today. My friend from Crate, Tracy sent me a message on FB and told me about the 5K she's doing in February (she's also doing the C25K and is a couple weeks ahead of me) so I figured, what the heck, might as well just dive right in and do it.. Now I have some major motivation.

And, in true Jen style (I never do anything halfway) Tim and I decided to sign up for the Great Urban Race the following weekend. It's not really a race (like running) but it is kind of a race around the town, ala Amazing Race.. we are looking for people to join us so if you are planning to come to Phoenix around Valentine's day, come join the fun!!!

Oh, now Timmy's ready to go to the gym.. can't lose my motivation... gotta run!!! (ha, pun intended!)

UPDATE - just got back from the gym.. man that was a beyotch... didn't help that on the way there, I realized that I had forgotten to change into my sports bra... wow, these jugs were definitely working against me... even Timmy said he looked over at me and saw them jumping up and down.. isn't he sweet?? :) I just gotta keep telling myself, "I think I can, I think I can..."

Thankful...

Before I get all sappy and talk about the things I am thankful for, I'd like to shout to the heavens about a super morning I've had!!! I was getting ready for work this morning and put on my shirt (it's a little loose BTW) and then figuring out which jeans I should wear. I pulled one pair on, nope, way too baggy, so I put on another pair that I've had for YEARS and nope, too baggy and looked ridiculous, so I went to the "goal" pair - the pair of jeans that I last wore in 2006 when I lived in Minneapolis - the pair that I kept b/c I loved them so much, the style, the cut and that I swore I would wear again, well, guess what?? they fit!!!! I ran out of my closet and into the office to give Timmy the news, to which he replied, "Miss Magoo, you're looking hot!" What a way to kick off my morning!!! Now granted, the jeans are a little snug in my waist and belly but the legs and butt are almost loose!!! So exciting!!! The weight may not be going down much but clearly some things are moving in the right direction!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So, I started the C25K on Saturday and did day 2 on Tuesday and tweaked something in my back and now am walking around like an old lady.. I swear if it's not one thing it's another!!!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd talk about the things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful that a little over a year ago, I had the wherewithall to decide that I'd had enough of the dieting, the promises I'd made to myself to lose weight and the constant beating myself up, to walk into my doctor's office and decide that I needed to not only change my life, but do something to prolong it.

I'm thankful that my family was so supportive and even though they were concerned, never tried to talk me out of it.

I'm thankful that when I decided to tell the few people I did at first, they became my cheerleaders and then when I started telling others, they became my biggest supporters.

I'm thankful that I have a fabulous husband who although tends to drive me crazy part of the time, he's my best friend.

I'm thankful for having not only a decent job, but one that I enjoy going to everyday and being around the people I work with.

I'm thankful that I have the ability to travel to fun places in a year and hang out with fantastic friends.

I'm thankful that even though I was only pregnant for a short time this year, I was given hope that someday...

I'm thankful that I found so many people through blogs that are going through or have gone through the things that I am and help me find out where I'm headed..

I'm thankful for Antonio today b/c he allowed me to get into these jeans!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
xo

Lessons Learned...

It's all about trial and error with this band, now isn't it?? So, last week, I felt like I could pretty much eat anything and was constantly hungry! On Friday night, Timmy and I went to dinner at Pita Jungle and I thought that I'd be able to have some Pita and Hummus... WRONG! I had no issues with the hummus but the Pita was NOT my friend! I ate slowly and chewed it a lot but it still just sat there right in my chest and did not want to move anywhere. Gotta admit, don't really want that feeling ever again!! So, now I know!

Last night, I went out to dinner with some girls I used to work with at Crate last year and I hadn't seen any of them in about a year. So, none of them knew about my surgery. They picked a Pasta restaurant.. go figure!! I did tell them once I got there that I had had the surgery and they were shocked. So, I had a nice appetizer of Buffalo Mozzerella and Heirloom tomatoes with Pesto sauce and it was YUM!! I was a little disappointed that none of them noticed my weight loss but oh well.. I guess not everyone is as observant as me!

Today, while running errands Timmy and I stopped at the Salty Senorita for some lunch. I ordered the tacos and just ate the chicken without the shell..( I figured since the pita and the corn tortilla are somewhat in the same family, I didn't want to chance it!)

I upped my water intake this weekend and things seem back to normal on the WL front. I even started the C25K yesterday... man, am I NOT a runner!! I'm going to stick with it though! I want to be a runner and there's no time like the present to start!!!

Kind of a boring blog but hey, that's my life these days, figuring out how to live with Antonio (yes, I named him Antonia BANDeras!)

Super happy for a short work week and to spend some time with our good buddies Clay and Nicole and family for Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Sunday!!

My hips shake from the left to the right..

Yes, I was a cheerleader!!! Anyone remember that cheer??

My back aches.. (not anymore!!)

My pants too tight... (uh, nope!!!)

My hips shake from the left to the right, from the left, to the right, to the left..

Anyone?? Maybe it was a Mississippi thing!! Anyways, the point being is that my hips were shaking like crazy on Tuesday when I went to see ELLEN!!!!! And if you watched today, you might just catch a glimpse of said hip-shaking!!!

We had such a good time in LA!! Ellen was all that and more!! We got to see Robert Pattinson who up until about a week or so ago, I really did not care about nor did I think much of him.. until I saw him in person and I squealed like a teenager when he came up our aisle and shook my hand!!! Ridiculous!!! So, needless to say, I'm very thankful that little part of the show ended up on the cutting room floor!!!

So, I finally graduated to solid foods!! Actually it was somewhat anti-climactic!! I made the executive decision (I mean, I am the CEO of Jen, Inc... afterall!) to move up my solid-food day to two days earlier mainly due to the fact that I was going to be in LA and I knew it would be hard to find band-friendly foods to eat on the run. Or so I thought.. I actually kind of just started eating "soft" solid foods.. I had a croissant from Starbucks.. (so good and yet so bad for me!) and I ate a real piece of chicken.. not just somthing that had been shredded, schmooshed, etc..

I think my biggest issue is that I am not drinking enough water during the day. I used to be that person that was running back and forth to the bathroom all the time and I'm just not thirsty, but I've been getting headaches which makes me think I may be a little dehydrated and my weight loss has all but slowed down to a turtle's pace.. which I kind of expected but didn't really want!! AND I've been able to eat much more than I was a week ago. I know that this part of the process (between healing and first fill) is all mental for me. I need to act like I'm on a diet again and then hopefully once I get my first fill, all will be well again. The good thing about all the blogs I'm following, almost everyone is a step or two ahead of me and I can get insight as to how things are going right now with me and know that it's all normal!

I'm planning to start the C25K program tomorrow (couch to 5K) so that I can work on hitting one of my goals I set for myself - run a 5K. I've never been a runner so wish me luck!!

Here are some pics of our trip this week!! Have a great weekend!

I was VERY excited to go to Ellen!

We got to see the Friends set and sit on the couch!!

See, I was there!!

Climbing up a Mountain ... literally!!!

What a great weekend I had!!! My friend Melissa came to town and helped me with one of my goals that I set for myself prior to having this surgery! Before I tell the story, I'll back-track to 3 years ago. Melissa and our friend Holly came out to AZ for a long weekend. We went to the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, and Sedona and on one of the days, we decided to go hike Pinnacle Peak in North Scottsdale. Well, to my embarassment, I made it up to about 1/8th of the mountain and was mortified that I was soo out of shape in front of my girlfriends and turned around and sat at the base of the mountain waiting for them to finish their climb and come down. Move ahead to the next year, when, after I had been working out with a trainer and was getting in pretty good shape, Timmy and I went to Pinnacle Peak to see if I could get any further. I did, I made it up about 3/4 of the mountain. I considered that a major achievement. Now, almost 2 years later, I put in my blog that I wanted to make it to the top of PP once I completed my surgery, so you must be asking, is that what you did this weekend?? Um no, not technically, but very very close...

We headed up to Sedona on Saturday morning ( which was pretty rough for Melissa since she and Timmy decided to overimbibe on wine and beer on Friday night.. lucky me was the designated driver!!!) to go hike Devil's Bridge. I had read that the trail was "easy to moderate" so I figured that I should be able to do it just fine. We got to the road leading to the trail and realized that we couldn't drive my car through it and make it out without getting a flat, so we parked at the end of the road and hoofed it to the base of the trail... this walk was about 1.5 miles.. here we are on the road:

(see the car behind us.. they were in like a little Kia.. morons... ) So, we got to the base of the trail and it was a gorgeous day.. we chatted while we walked and it really wasn't too bad, a little gradual ascent, but overall, nothing that I couldn't handle..

Then, it happened.... the inhaler had to come out and some rest stops had to be taken... we got to a part in the trail that was pretty much all steps and height.. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest! Thankfully, Melissa was super supportive and even though she was barely breathing ( I was irritated that she found it sooo easy!! :) ) she continued to stop with me and let me catch my breath!!! At each stop, we'd take a couple of pics!!

Here are some pics to prove that I'm not telling a fib when I say there was an incline and lots of rocks to step up!!

After a couple of times of me saying "we better be close to the top and where is this freaking bridge and are we on the right trail?? etc... " we FINALLY got to the bridge and it was so worth the effort!!!!

We did it!!!

Melissa reenacting the pic I posted on here the other day:

It was such a huge accomplishment for me to make it up the mountain!! I mean, I had surgery only 2 short weeks ago and last Saturday, I was filled with regret and having a serious pity party for myself. What a difference a week makes!! I was proud of myself for the first time in a long time!! So, in all total, we walked/hiked almost 6 miles!!! I walked to much that I actually became pocket sized!! (that's for you Michelle!)

We got back to town and went to Rob and Joy's for dinner with them, their kiddos, Michelle and KD.. it was great end to a fabulous day!!!

Again, I feel so fortunate that I have such wonderful, supportive friends who encourage me, lift me up and make me feel that I matter so much!!

A huge thanks to Melissa for being so encouraging and supportive yesterday! I'm so glad you were there to share in my accomplishment of one of my goals!! XO

Pinnacle Peak, here I come.....

Keep on Keeping On...

Gosh, for the love, I can't believe how pathetic I was less than a week ago. I wish I would have known that I'd be feeling great this week and it would have made it easier to manage! But instead, I was wallowing in my own self-pity. Oh well, we all have to have our frequent IPP's right??

Anyhoo... like I said, I'm feeling about 80% better today!! I woke up today with nearly no pain and haven't taken a swig of the pain killer juice in almost 2 days now!! WOOT!!

My only real indication that I had this surgery is of course my war ravaged belly - only two of the incisions are fully healed and the steri-strips have completely come off, and the crazy Psycho Hunger Pangs I get right around meal-time!! I was explaining them to Jen today.. I was like, "dude, I turn into a crazy beyotch if I'm hungry and I've never been that way!!" Seriously, we almost had an incident in the grocery store with Timmy the other day!! I feel it coming on and I'd better get something in me and FAST!!! So, be warned, if you are ever with me, when the urge happens, watch out, stay calm and point me to the nearest Smoothie King or Jamba Juice and all will be right with the world again!!

So back to work on Monday I went.. everyone seemed really happy to see me!! It's funny b/c I think people expected that I'd look different and quite frankly, with the exception of the 10 lbs I've lost since surgery, I pretty much look the same.. I'm not sure if that disappointed some or not!! I know this isn't a quick fix and I guess I have to school people of this little fact as well! I worked the entire day and was EXHAUSTED by 5:00!!! My body (and mind) were definitely not used to being so worked!!

As I mentioned in my last blog, my girlfriend Melissa is coming here this weekend. I've been wanting to go to this place in Sedona called Devil's Bridge for awhile now and I think we're going to head there on Saturday. It's part of the Coconino National Forest and it's about a 2 mile hike/walk and everyone I've talked to about says it's not too difficult so I won't be overexerting myself too much. I think it looks like it will be beautiful!! Don't you??

Can I get a HALLELUJAH??

I FINALLY feel almost GOOD!!!!! WOOHOO!!! I woke up this morning, almost feeling like a new woman. I had a horrible last couple of days, lots of feeling sorry for myself, lots of regret, lots of tears and some apologies to my hubs for being such a boring, blah wife who couldn't do anything or didn't want to do anything. Seriously, I was P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C!!! I honestly don't know who crawled into my body and took over and took me to negative town, but I'm glad to say that I think that my train just arrived back towards happyville..

I'm hoping this is not a fluke and will continue getting better each day this week. I have to go back to work tomorrow. Part of me is glad b/c if I had to stay in this house one more day with the loudest man ever as well as the two most irritating barking dogs, I might lose my mind, but part of me wishes I would have taken advantage of being off the last week and 1/2, you know, like done something fun instead of sitting in the house, in pain, and resting and working on and off.. I wish I would have felt better and gotten things done but oh well, such is my life..

Today, in celebration of feeling good, I went for a walk on the trail by our house with Michelle and KD, babysat KD for about 20 minutes, helped Timmy do some stuff around the house, ventured out to some furniture stores to look for a new comfy couch, and then hit the grocery store, where I proceeded to have the biggest hunger attack of my life.. 1/4 cup of mashed potato salad later, I was back in action!!

So, I had some heartburn issues the past couple of days which really tested me. I never had heartburn before the band and did a lot of research b/c I would have thought that the band would have cured it. This heartburn I've had was no freaking joke.. serious pain. I picked up some Priolosec OTC and I think it finally kicked in today. I'm planning a call to the dr tomorrow to make sure this is to be expected. I do feel like I wasn't as prepared with enough information from my dr before this surgery. I need to be a better advocate for myself and get in there and get all the information I can from here on out.

So, on to bigger and better things!! My friend Melissa is coming to visit this weekend and then next week, Michelle and I are headed to LA to see my friend Angela and a little known talk show host named Ellen.. .heard of her?

Thanks for all the supportive texts, calls and emails. I'm so grateful to have a fabulous group of friends and family!!!

Checking in...

A week ago today I had the lap-band surgery. A week ago today, I thought for sure that I'd be feeling better a week later. Sad truth is, I feel better but not much. I think I expected that I'd be up and at em already and that things would be much easier. I could not have been more wrong!!

I'm officially on day 7 and have had a rough couple of days. On Tuesday (sorry if this is TMI) my monthly visitor that hadn't made an appearance in 2 months decided to appear and boy did it come back with a bang!! Not to be too graphic, but it's been HEAVY - we're talking crime scene heavy.. I think that the combination of the cramps, constipation, pain from the surgery lingering, my body had had it!! I am an exxagerator, but I swear, no exxageration here!!

I'm still on pain meds, which I hope is OK. I feel like I call the doctor's office every day with a new symptom!! Today's major issue is a heartburn-like feeling. Apparently, this is normal. Unpleasant, but normal. I've been eating OK.. I'm still not overly hungry but when I am, I sure know it!!

The newest disappoinment is that I got on the Wii yesterday b/c I think I'm going to use the scale on that b/c I can keep track better... the little guy happily told me that I've lost 30 lbs since the last time I was on it, which was right around when I started WW about 3 months ago. I've lost 7 since the surgery last week. The sad thing is that nothing fits any different b/c my freaking belly is still swollen.. ugh, I'm a mess.

I need to put a tracker on the side of my blog to track my WL.. and do my measurements. I think that will make me feel better about things. Right now, I'm just a little down b/c I feel like there is no end to this pain. I have no energy to do anything. I went with Michelle and KD to Sweet Tomatoes today to have some soup and then planned to go to Target afterwards, but I just felt like poop after so we didn't go. I'm not the type of person who enjoys laying around and that's all I seem to be doing.

Sorry for the downer blog. If you've called and I haven't called back, I will, it just gets old telling everyone how I'm still in pain, how I don't know if the pain is normal, blah blah blah.. I'm hoping to be back to my cheerful, happy self soon!!!

Moving right along..

Today is Day 4 Post Op (or Day 5 if you count the actual day.. not sure if I'm supposed to!) and I'm finally feeling like the pain may be moving on it's way out of my body. I woke up pretty sore again and was irritated that I didn't feel much better, but for some reason, this afternoon, I'm feeling slightly better. The gas pain is still pretty prevalent but I've been on the move all afternoon.. doing things around the house, putting laundry away, etc.. so hopefully this is a sign of good things to come this week!!! I am still not that hungry and I'm eating just to keep my body healthy. I had some tomato soup today and am planning on hitting up the grocery store later today to get some fixins to make some different soups.

I made the grave error in letting my team know that I was online and could help with some things while I'm out and oh boy, did they pounce at that offer. I've probably worked about 5 hours already today. I finally told one of the PMs that I was signing off and going to take a nap.. I'm def not ready for the craziness that work brings!!!

The scale doesn't seem to be moving in any direction, which confuses me.. I guess it's b/c I'm still pretty bloated, so hopefully that also will start moving in the right direction.

So, some of the names that we've come up with so far are:

Antonio BANDeras
Pepe LAPew
Phil
MoFo
Chuck
Blaine..

any other suggestions?? Again, thanks for all the support, texts, calls, etc!!! I really appreciate them all!!!